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Maurice Jones-Drew (foot surgery) said he expects to be cleared for football activity by late May or early June.

Jones-Drew's left foot is currently in a cast after going under the knife on Dec. 28. He insists that his injury was a "mid-foot fracture," not the more serious Lisfranc break. "I did mess up some things, but it wasn't what people thought it was," Jones-Drew said. "I don't feel like this injury is going to slow me down. I just have to train. I want to get back and play." MJD will be highly motivated to return at full strength as he enters a contract year. He has repeatedly confirmed he has no plans whatsoever to stage another holdout in 2013.

49ers signed TE Vance McDonald to a five-year, $35 million extension with $16 million guaranteed.

The deal locks up McDonald through 2021. Turning 27 next June, McDonald has enjoyed a mini-breakout season in Chip Kelly's offense, parlaying 24 catches into 391 yards with four touchdowns and averaging 16.3 yards per reception. Long prone to dropped passes, McDonald has dropped only three balls this year and has always possessed adequate blocking ability. McDonald played a season-high 91 percent of the 49ers' snaps in Week 13.

Chargers GM Tom Telesco declined to say if coach Mike McCoy will be back next season.

"We're not looking toward 2017 yet," Telesco said. "We've had some tough games that we've lost. Mike has kept this team together. So there's some good things, but the other side is we've got seven losses with four games to go, which is where nobody wants to be." McCoy signed a one-year extension in January to avoid lame-duck status. He's on the hot seat after losing three of his last five games. The Chargers offense has rebounded under McCoy this year but their defense and fourth quarter collapses have remained a big part of their struggles. McCoy (.450 winning percentage) may need to win out to avoid being fired.

Levy is trending toward playing after he was more involved in practice this week. Per beat writer Dave Birkett, "all indications" are he’s going to be active. Levy has been out since Week 1 and should see limited snaps in his first game back. A healthy Levy is a huge upgrade for Detroit's stretch-run defense.

Marvin Jones (quad) is listed as questionable for Week 14 against the Bears.

Jones took last week off, but he is due back against Chicago. Beat writers have been increasingly confident about his status. Jones is a fringe WR3, and probably best viewed as a WR4 considering his lack of production the past two months.

It'll end Payton's season. A fifth-round pick out of UCLA, Payton earned only 30 snaps on offense while wallowing behind Terrelle Pryor, Corey Coleman, Andrew Hawkins, Ricardo Louis, and Rashard Higgins on the Browns' wide receiver depth chart. Payton may be hard pressed to make the Browns' 2017 roster, but he will be given every opportunity in next year's training camp.

The NFL was expected to make a ruling on Smith's reinstatement last week but obviously that didn't happen. After finally getting a face-to-face with Goodell, Smith's status should be determined in relatively short order. Smith has been serving an indefinite suspension following repeated violations of the league's substance abuse policy. The former first-team All-Pro hasn't played an NFL snap in over a year.

Mark Ingram (toe, knee, questionable) returned to a limited practice on Friday.

That puts him on track to play Sunday against Tampa Bay. Ingram has had some big weeks recently, but his usage remains somewhat of a guessing game. Last week he was out-snapped by Travaris Cadet. Ingram will be a risky RB2 against a Bucs' defense that has performed much better recently.

Michael Thomas (foot) returned to Saints practice on Friday but is listed as questionable for Week 14 at Tampa Bay.

Thomas was "limited," meaning his only practice participation of the week was a "limited" workout in Friday's session. Still, it would be a surprise if he did not start Sunday at Tampa Bay. Thomas has emerged as the Saints' best wideout as rookie, leading the team in all receiving categories.

RotoGrinders.com Daily Slant: Thomas - in addition to Brandin Cooks - is squarely in play after a disappointing performance in Week 13. He's the safest option on the Saints side and his ceiling is in line with Cooks', not to mention that he'll have a nice draw against the much smaller Alterraun Verner (5'10 to Thomas' 6'3). Thomas has reeled in about 78% of his targets on the year, a great mark for someone who is also integral in the red-zone.

The Cards will stay with Tyvon Branch at slot corner, where he has been terrific this year and arguably even better than Mathieu, whose play has declined due to a multitude of injuries. Mathieu remains out indefinitely. Despite this news, we would not upgrade Jarvis Landry's matchup because he'll now face Branch.

Saints SS Kenny Vaccaro has dropped the appeal of his four-game PEDs ban and will be out for Weeks 14-17.

Vaccaro's absence improves the fantasy matchup for Cameron Brate, who will take on the Saints in both Weeks 14 and 16. Barring an unlikely playoff berth by the Saints, Vaccaro's season is over. Vaccaro was inconsistent his first three years in the league, but his level of play rose immensely as a fourth-year pro. The Saints have him under contract for one more year at $5.68 million.

Beat writers have sounded optimistic about Siemian's chances of facing the Titans, but Kubiak said he wouldn't have a firm decision until he watches Siemian in Saturday's walkthrough. Kubiak said Friday that Siemian's status would be decided "tomorrow." If Paxton Lynch has to make another start, the fantasy outlooks for Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders would both take a hit.

RotoGrinders.com Daily Slant: If Siemian does indeed start on Sunday, Emmanuel Sanders sets up as one of the premier value plays across the industry. The Titans have given up massive stat lines to Marquess Wilson, Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, T.Y. Hilton and Tyrell Williams over the past month, and the secondary is still by far their biggest weakness. Lynch's presence would be a downgrade to both options, making Sanders and Thomas GPP-only options.